The Arkansaw traveler., 1887-07-02

trated tones.
 The small man, cringing before him, managed to command his voice.
 "Mr. Boyle" he stammered, ''don't shooti We ain't a-doin' no harm. Hope to die eff ain't givin' it to yer straight. Our guns ain't loaded; yer kin see fur yourself"
 Uncle Jim's face relaxed slightly. He approached the men, who dared not lower their hands, and took the revolver from the belt of each. Sure enough, they were not charged. He felt for concealed weapons, but found none.
 "All right" he said. "I allow ye ain't very dangerous just now; but I'd like to know what you cusses is a-doin."
 Then Mustang Nose spoke to him for the first time since his arrival at the ranch. "I'll tell ye," said he. "Me and this yerc pard O mine we struck streak O bad luck an we had to light out of Denver in hurry, an we come down here. We might as we'll be hung fur sheep as fur a lamb, and we wouldn't "a made no bones of maxim a strike in this yere ranch; but when you was givin' us the grand bounce, an that booty little gal came out an looked at us two toughs with them gentle eyes O her'n ap' spoke in that pityin' voice, waal, blamed eff thet didn't jest fetch me; an when I got my pard alone, I sez to him, No funny business here,' an lie sez, You bet.' An we allowed to light out of this at daylight an strike fur the mountains. Say, mister, ye ain't got no call to keep us, have ye?"
 Uncle Jim hesitated one moment; then, with shrug of his shoulders, he said:
 "You're right; ain't got no use for ye. Gitw
 The men needed no second permits sion. In five minutes time they were we'll on the road to the foothills. Un- cle Jim watched their progress.
 "A precious pair O toughs, an no mistake," said he to himself. "They'd got away with us last night eff they'd "a wanted to. An they let up because the little girl was good to lem. Waal, I said there want no man thet would harm her, an even them cusses-thet, when ye come to size 'em up, want men, but brutes-they couldn't do it. Now, I allow they've been up to sight O wickedness, but they done one squar' thing, an no mistake"
 An hour passed, and still Uncle Jim sat in the bright sunlight, gazing to- ward the foothills. Then the sound of galloping hoofs was heard; it came nearer, and six horsemen, splendidly mounted, rode round the corner of the house and pulled up. To any one fla miliar with the west a glance would have told their character and their purpose. On their stern, but not an- gry nor excited faces, in their curi- ously unmistakable air of grim, per sistent determination, was written, as if in plain type, Vigilante!
 "Hullo, Jim! shake!" cried the leader.
 "What's up?" asked Uncle Jim, re- turning the salutation.
 "Have you seen the pair of cusses we're after?" asked the leader. "One was tall, and the other short, with red hair"
 "Why," said Uncle Jim," we put 'em up for the night, an they ain't been gone more'n an hour"
 You put them up?" cried the leader. with an air of astonishment, some sign of which appeared even on the stern and solid facts behind him. You put them up, and there's any one of you alive to tell the tale this morning? Well, haven't time to talk now, but when we come back shall want to ask you what on earth you did to keep them quiet. Now, which way did they go? Straight up that road to the range? All right. Goodby. Come on, boys," and they were off on a gallop.
 Uncle Jim sat as before, looking straight before him. Close to the foothills the mountain road forked, one branch leading toward the south, another to pass; and the frontiers men had seen the two men take the former.
 "Ef John had asked me, of course I'd "a told him which way they went" said he to himself, "but he didn't wait. allow them cusses is a-going to be took, but swear I'd sooner hey lem took some other time than jest when they've done the one squar' thing O their lives. Then he lighted his pipe. An Fong had come noise lessly behind him. Later on he heard the latter cry, "Hi yah!"
 Uncle Jim looked up and saw the Chinese boy gazing to the westward. Following his glance, he caught the last glimpse of the vigilantes spurring up the road to the pass-the wrong road!
 "Good morning, Mir. Boyle," he heard, ill a soft voice behind him.